The Last Hope
by Eva West
Summary: Catherine thinks that she can help Harry deafet Voldemort. But is she just an imposter? Or can she really help? Starts where the 6th book left off. RonHermione R
1. Catherine Burke

Catherine Burkes stood on the edge of the water, staring at the people who were sitting in the shade of the trees. There was no doubt that it was Harry Potter and his two friends, but Catherine still felt apprehensive about just walking up and talking to him, after the funeral they both had just sat through.

But enough was enough, and Cat walked over, her black heels slightly sinking into the wet grass.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped talking when Cat showed up. "Hi." She said shakily.

"Who are you?" Ron asked.

Hermione slapped his arm. "Be a little ruder, why don't you?" she said to him. Ron frowned. "And obviously you are from Beauxbatons, right?"

Cat nodded. "I'm Catherine. I'll be going into my seventh year, if I do go back at all."

Ron looked confused. "How'd you know she was from-"

"Its on her jacket," Hermione said. Cat looked down on her black skirt suit.

"I remember you." Harry said. "Were you at the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Yes, Madame wanted me to come along, as a special treat." Cat answered.

An award pause came. Harry cleared his throat. "So, uh, why are you here?"

" Voldemort tried to kill me too. He had already gotten to my parents and then he just went for me. He couldn't kill me, I don't know why, but he just stopped trying, and left me. With this of course." Cat said.

Harry, Hermione and Ron didn't quite know to make of this information.

"I just thought we could tell each other out stories, and then we could put an end to everything."

"What?" Harry said.

"I'm here to help you defeat Voldemort." Cat said.

"I'm lost here." Ron said.

"Yeah, right there with you." Harry said.

Even Hermione looked slightly confused.

Catherine took a deep breath and began to start her story. "So, when I was eleven I was taken to Beauxbatons and-"

"Wait, you have a perfect English accent, though." Hermione said.

"I was born here." Cat said, "And I grew up here. But then my parents died, and I was shipped of to France. I entered Beauxbatons, and strange things happened. When I was to be sorted into a house, the book could not choose which one for me. At Beauxbatons, there are five houses, Earth, Fire, Light, Air and Water. It chose Earth in the end, and the book made a green ribbon appear. It said, that I was destined for great things.

"That's the same thing that happened to me." Harry said.

So even though I had no idea what that meant, I just kept going. Things kept on happening. Our headmistress, Madame Vincent, seemed to be scared of me. She said one, to another teacher, that she though she saw Voldemort behind my eyes."

Harry nodded.

"And she was also scared of me, because I had so much power. I can produce a Patronus too, Harry. Madame Vincent was no help to me, none at all. I remembered Dumbledore, and Hogwarts, and I thought that maybe this would be more help to me. After all, my mom went here, and my dad came her for his N.E.W.T's. But, I guess I came late, since he has been killed." Cat's eyes began to water, because she came so close to understanding what she was.

"How could your teacher see Voldemort behind your eyes?" Ron said.

"Because, he marked me as equal too." Catherine said. She tucked her brown hair be hind her ears, and there was a scar of a lightning bolt right in front of her ear.

…………………………………

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	2. Scars

"Whoa." Harry said. "Does it hurt sometimes?"

"Yeah." Cat said, now feeling more comfortable, though she wasn't exactly sure why. "That's how I knew you were telling the truth when Voldemort came back. I knew something had gone wrong in the maze. It started just hurting, and then it just started coming in these painful doses. Madame Maxime thought I was going mad. I thought I was going mad too. But when I saw you coming back with Cedric Diggory, I got very angry. Everybody at Beauxbatons just thought I was crazy."

"Would you like to come home with us?" Ron asked. He didn't know why he was being so friendly to a girl whom he hardly knew, but Ron felt she was to be trusted.

"We have to keep this quiet though." Catherine told Ron, looking him directly in the eye. "If Voldemort knew I lived too, he'll go ballistic, and we won't be able to find the five Horcruxes."

"You know about the Horcruxes?" Hermione hissed.

"Yeah. I destroyed one, and we just have to find the last five-"

"I destroyed one, and Dumbledore destroyed one." Harry said. "So there's only three left."

"What did you destroy?"

"Godric Gryffindor wand." Cat said. "I felt a bit bad about destroying an idem that was worth so much, but oh well."

Mrs. Weasley motioned for the four of them to come over. She was standing with the whole family. Harry, Ron and Hermione got up, and started walking over. Harry turned around, and grabbed Catherine's arm, and pulled her over.

"Hey, mom, can our friend stay with us?" Ron asked Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley obviously had other things on her mind, so she said, "Yes, sure, of course."

Ron looked at Cat and shrugged. Lupin looked at Cat. "What did you say your name was?"

"Cat. Catherine. Burke."

"Paul Burke must be a relation." Lupin told her.

"He was my father." Cat answered. "Jenna Burke was my mother."

"You look just like him." Lupin said. Catherine smiled. "But your smile, its Jenna's."

"Thank you very much, sir."

The 'sir' did it, and Lupin took an instant liking to Catherine.

……………………….

After tearfully saying goodbye to Hogwarts, everybody returned to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"FILTHY HALF BLOODS! DIRTY BLOOD TRAITORS!"

"And that's my great-god-mother." Harry said.

"She seems… pleasant." Cat said. Harry laughed.

"Who's she?" Ginny asked.

"This is Catherine." Harry said, looking down.

"Hello." Cat said brightly. She didn't know that Harry had just broken up with her.

Ginny looked at them, and ran up the stairs. Ron glared at him.

"Did I say something?" Cat asked, her blue eyes wide.

"No, she's just, er," Hermione stammered, trying to find the right words.

"Heartbroken." Ron said.

"Ron, you have no idea!" Harry yelled.

"Yeah, I do!" Ron said. "You're not putting her in any danger!"

"Yeah, I am!" Harry shot back. "Voldemort has already used her to open the Chamber of Secrets. What do you think he'll do to her now?"

"No, this is all my fault!" Cat wailed, but Ron and Harry kept yelling at each other. Hermione kept her head in her book.

Then two sharp cracks, and one scream, interrupted the whole thing. Fred and George appeared, George landing on Hermione's lap.

"Oh, didn't think anyone would be sitting in this chair." George said. Hermione looked mad and embarrassed at the same time.

"Yeah, well, get off!" Hermione cried and she pushed George off with all of her might.

"Hey, you!" Fred said.

"I don't know you." George said.

"Well, I'm just gonna have to introduce myself all day, aren't I?" Cat said.

"I'm George, that's Fred, you are…"

"Catherine."

"Well, then Miss Catherine, we have some things to show you." Fred told her.

"She doesn't want to buy anything!" Ron yelled.

"Geez." Fred said. Him and George left with a crack.

……………………….

Later that night, Hermione appeared in Ron and Harry's room. She appeared much quieter than Fred and George did, so it gave the two boys a shock.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked sleepily.

"I wanted to talk to you two about Catherine." She said.

"What about her?" Harry asked, reaching for his glasses.

"I don't know, it just seems, far-fetched you know, that Voldemort would mark her as equal two." Hermione told them. "And Ginny doesn't seem to be too happy about it either."

"What?" Harry asked. "Why?"

"Because she told me that's why." Hermione retorted. "Harry, she thinks that you like her."

"But I don't." Harry said. "I don't even know her."

"But how is Ginny supposed to know that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Muttered Harry.

"Remember what Dumbledore said?" Hermione said.

"No." Ron said, his eyes still closed.

"About what?" said Harry.

"About the one power that Voldemort doesn't have. The power to love." Hermione said quietly.

Harry looked down.

Hermione gave him a half smile and left with her quiet crack.


End file.
